


Untitled (Spike/Xander)

by rsadelle



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-09-28
Updated: 2004-09-28
Packaged: 2017-10-28 13:23:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/308298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rsadelle/pseuds/rsadelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's confused, because he's five and he's having trouble understanding how his best friend is suddenly a grownup with a girlfriend. ("But I wanted you to be my girlfriend.") But they all take care of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Untitled (Spike/Xander)

**Author's Note:**

> Every once in a while, there's a rabbit running around in my head, which then gets emailed as the bunny of the day to whomever I think will be interested. Sometimes I come back to the bunny, and sometimes it just sits there, an unrealized idea. I thought this one was one of the latter, but yesterday I couldn't stop thinking of a scene for it, so here's the complete text of the plot bunny email and a scene from my head.

**The Bunny**

I don't want to write this. I want to read it.

In an Anya-less season 4, some spell or something happens and instead of Xander, there is five-year-old Xander, just the way he was, just the way Willow remembers him being.

He's confused, because he's five and he's having trouble understanding how his best friend is suddenly a grownup with a girlfriend. ("But I wanted you to be my girlfriend.") But they all take care of him. Willow coddles him, Tara's nice and sweet, Buffy helps out, Riley is that good-looking dad type, and Giles doesn't quite know what to do but he's okay. And grownup Willow looks so sad and stammers when he asks where Jesse is.

He's a little kid so they have to buy him clothes, and in the whole process, they see the bruises on his skin. Willow feels so guilty for not knowing and it makes her even more upset about the whole thing and also more determined to make sure he has a good experience with them.

He can't go home and he can't stay in the dorms with the girls, so he ends up staying with Giles, and then Spike ends up staying too. The two of them go to the magic shop with Giles during the day and Spike sits back and watches Xander play with the toys Willow got him until he gets bored and wanders around the store looking at things.

He breaks something and Giles snaps at him. Xander's frightened and Giles, in his awkward British way, tries to comfort him, which doesn't work. Spike feels for him, and picks him up and distracts him with the Legos, which Spike secretly enjoys. (Yes, I know the plural is actually Lego, but no one says it that way.)

So anyway, Willow tries to make up for Xander's childhood and Riley takes him to the park and Spike becomes his friend.

And then they figure out how to get their Xander back. And when he's back, his memories of what went on when he was a five year old with them are completely separate from when he really was a five year old.

Spike: Right. Well, I'm off.

The next day or so, Xander lugs a bunch of Legos over to Spike's crypt.

Xander: I think Willow knocked over a toy store.

Spike: She felt a fair bit of guilt.

And at Xander's questioning look as he drags the Legos into the middle of the crypt: Your five-year-old self had some bruises and you kept asking about someone named Jesse.

Xander, softly: Oh.

And later he goes to Willow and hugs her and just holds on and says thank you and I love you.

 **The Scene**

"What happened?"

"Yes, well," Giles said, "Xander was getting into things the way children do, and I did snap at him a bit." He took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. "He was startled."

"I know you watchers don't have many people skills," Spike said, "but I'd think you'd at least have enough sense not to yell at an abused child."

Suddenly all eyes were on Spike.

"A-- abused?" Willow's eyes went wide and hurt. Her "No" was a pained moan.

So they hadn't known.

"Yes."

"I know Xander doesn't like his parents and they aren't very nice, but I didn't think they could actually *hurt* him."

"Of course you didn't," Spike said. "You've all had such nice, safe little lives. You can't imagine anything else."

"Are you sure?" Buffy's hurt came out as tension. "Are you sure they abused," her voice trembled on the word, "him?"

"Course I'm sure," Spike said. "Suspected before, but I gave the boy a bath, didn't I? Has bruises all over his body, and a couple of scars. At least one of them was made with a cigarette."

Willow let out a little cry.

"Spike," Giles said, tight and suspicious, "are you absolutely sure?"

"Spent a lot of time torturing people. Know what a healing cigarette burn looks like."

Willow turned her head into Tara's shoulder. Buffy sat down, looking stunned.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"We take care of him," Tara said, calm and adult. Odd, except that, shy as she was, she was the one who best understood what humans could do.

Willow turned her teary face up to the other witch. "Right," she said. "Right." She wiped her eyes and her expression set into a face of strong resolve. "We make sure he has a happy childhood this time." Her lip trembled. "No matter how long it is."

"Wait," Buffy said. "You said before. What did you mean by that?"

"I meant," Spike said with exaggerated clarity, "that the boy's strong. Not stupid either. But he doesn't believe it and barely shows it, can't hold onto a relationship and his only friends are powerful women who protect him. Pretty classic abused child." He looked at their surprised stares. "What?" he said. "Spent a century with Dru and Angel. Know what an abusive family dynamic looks like."

Willow noticed Xander first and turned a tremulous smile on him. "Hi, Xander."

Xander's lower lip began to tremble too. "I'm sorry," he said, almost whimpered. "I didn't mean to make everyone unhappy."

Spike got up from the table and scooped Xander up into his arms. "Got nothin' to do with you, pet. Ready for your snack?"

Xander still looked doubtful, but he nodded against Spike's chest.

"Right. We'll just leave the grownups to it, and we'll have a snack and story time. Maybe some nice Dr. Seuss. Now there was a fellow who knew how to rhyme. Cat in the Hat? How would you like that?"

Xander took his juice and settled down into the picnic corner of the training room-cum-playroom. Spike brought him crackers and cheese on an unbreakable, plastic plate.

"You all right, pet?"

Xander ducked his head and put all his attention toward his snack.

"All right," Spike said softly. "Some Dr. Seuss, then. And maybe we'll start something longer at bedtime tonight. Would you like that?"

"Willow was reading me Little House on the Prairie." Xander carefully gathered together his plate and cup and took them over to the sink. "Before. When she was like me and not a grownup."

"Maybe we can get her to read to you again." Spike pulled a book out of the milk carton bookshelf and settled himself onto one of the cushions in the library corner. "Come here, pet. Let's read about the Cat in the Hat."

Xander came across the room and sat in Spike's lap, leaning up against Spike's chest.

"You read to me, pet." Spike suggested, but Xander shook his head and turned his big eyes up to Spike.

"I want you to read to me."

Who could resist that?


End file.
